Frank Selee (1859)
Kid Gleason (1866)
Lee Tannehill (1880)
Dick Hoblitzel (1888)
Tommy Griffith (1889)
Snuffy Stirnweiss (1918)
Bud Byerly (1920)
Toby Harrah (1948)
Mike Hargrove (1949)
Steve Rogers (1949)
Dave Coleman (1950)
Harry Chappas (1957)
Gil Heredia (1965)
Mark Sweeney (1969)
Francisco Liriano (1983)
We would like to wish a very happy birthday to UncleWalt’s wife.
One week ago today I was in Nashville, Music City USA, staying right across the street from the Ryman Auditorium. That night, while I was drinking with clients, the Queen of Soul was inside the Mother Church of Country Music doing her thing. Sometimes you can be that close to something and still be so far away from it.
Here's Aretha live in Amsterdam in 1968. Because taking care of business is really this man's game.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5eWL_-eY8Y
(6 votes, average: 9.33 out of 10)
Loading... Who's hot: Andrew Baldwin is 1-0, 2.31, 0.69 WHIP in 11.2 innings (2 starts). Cesar Ciurcina is 0-0, 0.00, 0.30 WHIP in 3.1 innings (2 appearances). Deolis Guerra is 1-0, 3.86, 1.29 WHIP in 4.2 innings (3 appearances). Pedro Guerra is 0-0, 3.00, 0.83 WHIP in 8 innings (2 appearances, 1 start).
Who's in the middle: Joe Benson is hitting .240/.424/.360 in 25 at-bats. Jairo Perez is hitting .250/.400/.300 in 20 at-bats.
Who's cold: Rene Tosoni is hitting .235/.333/.235 in 34 at-bats.
Who's barely played: Josmil Pinton is hitting .000/1.000/.000 in 0 at-bats (walked in only plate appearance). Manuel Soliman is 0-0, 0.00, 2.00 WHIP in 1 inning (1 appearance). Junior Subero is 0-0, 9.00, 3.00 in 1 inning (1 appearance).
Magallanes is in first place in the VWL. La Guaira is second a half game out; Caracas is third, two back; Aragua is fourth, 2.5 games behind; Anzoategui is fifth, four games out; Lara is sixth, 4.5 games back; Zulia is seventh, five games behind; and Margarita is eighth, 5.5 games out of first.
The Tigres host Caracas tonight.
Surprise scored two in the fifth to break a 3-3 tie and added three in the ninth to beat Mesa 8-3 in Mesa.
The Saguaros were led by Wil Myers (Kansas City), who drove in three with two singles and a double. Joe Terdoslavich (Atlanta) singled and homered, and Tim Beckham (Tampa Bay) singled and doubled. Miguel De Los Santos (Texas) got the win despite allowing all three runs on five hits and two walks in four innings. He did strike out five. Dan Jennings (Florida) and Evan Reed (Florida) each worked two shutout innings.
For the Solar Sox, Robbie Grossman (Pittsburgh) had three hits. Joe Mahoney (Baltimore) and Brian Ward (Baltimore) each had two hits. Brian Dozier was 0-for-4 with an RBI and Aaron Hicks was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run. The loss went to Nathan Baker (Pittsburgh), who allowed two runs on three hits in one inning. Dakota Watts surrendered the three ninth-inning runs on two hits and three walks.
Mesa travels to Surprise this afternoon.
Release Date: November, 1991
System: Game Boy
Developer: Square
It's hard to say a game with a Final Fantasy name is unheralded, but in 1991, there had only been two games released in North America with the name. Those two were the original game for the NES, and the dreadfully dull, long, and difficult first game in the Legend series. Square had yet to release Final Fantasy II in America (also, not much of a loss). So the name in 1991 wasn't an automatic gold mine. It wasn't until IV and VI came out that RPGs became a huge thing in America, and then of course with VII things really exploded.
Known as Sa·Ga Japan, Square slapped on the name Final Fantasy in hopes of boosting sales. It worked in my case, as I asked for the game despite hating the prequel. And I'm very glad I did. The thing is, I really can't recommend this RPG from a battle perspective. For starters, you can only use your weapons a limited number of times before you have to go back to the store to buy it again (or upgrade). While this is realistic for some weapons (a club, say), I shouldn't need to have my DIAMOND sword replaced after fifty battles. Also, abilities are improved based on what you do inside a battle (just like Final Fantasty II). Win by casting magic? Your magic power will improve. Win by fighting? Your strength will improve. While in some respects this may seem realistic, it winds up feeling like busy work and one's characters lose variety unless you work at it. Finally, you'll spend a bit of time leveling up.
Now for the good parts. Like in nearly all old-school RPGs, you choose what types of characters you bring along (and their names). While it doesn't allow for any story development outside the main character, it can make the battles more fun. You choose between humans, mutants, robots, and monsters. Robots can win upgraded parts in battles, while monsters naturally improve by eating the meats of other monsters. The variety isn't perhaps quite as good as in the original Final Fantasy, but it's solid.
But the reason why you should play this game if you love RPGs is the story. It was the best story any RPG had until Final Fantasy IV, and it still holds up well today. Not only are the locations a blast (you actually go inside someone's body and explore their intestines at one point), but the story develops well throughout the game and it's a tearjerker unless you kill kittens for a living. On top of all this, the soundtrack is insanely good, even for the old Gameboy.
The game was upgraded and released for the DS in 2009, but so far it hasn't been ported to America yet, which is likely due to the underwhelming sales it had in the 90's. But I will get it pronto if it does sail the Pacific.
What ya'll playing?
Jack Doyle (1869)
Smoky Joe Wood (1889)
Jack Kent Cooke (1912)
Lee McPhail (1917)
Russ Meyer (1923)
Bobby Thomson (1923)
Bobby Brown (1924)
Roy Hartsfield (1925)
Chuck Schilling (1937)
Al Cowens (1951)
Roy Smalley (1952)
Rowland Office (1952)
Tito Landrum (1954)
Danny Darwin (1955)
Andy McGaffigan (1956)
Steve Decker (1965)
Keith Garagozzo (1969)
Pedro Martinez (1971)
The Rangers are one win away from their first championship ever, and it's been a series to remember.
Early in the year we got married, my eventual wife gave me a ticket to see Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was a birthday present, and we were so poor we could literally afford just one ticket. I cleared it with my boss to have the night off, but at the last minute he made me work anyway. Told me I could show up or take a hike, there were plenty more where I came from. So I sold the ticket to a friend, who raved about the concert. Best he ever saw.
Just four months later, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin. Now, twenty-one years is a long time to carry a grudge, but for the life of me I can't seem to let go of this one. And I probably never will.
From the Texas Flood album, Vaughan wrote Lenny and Love Struck Baby as tributes to his eventual ex-wife and by all accounts the one true love of his life, Lenora Bailey Vaughan. So here's to true love and to Stevie Ray, the best damn guitar player I never saw.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YIHvK5WN7I
(9 votes, average: 9.11 out of 10)Loading... St. Loo at Tejas
Carpenter v. Wilson
Indifference, thy name is WGOM
Magallanes scored two in the ninth to defeat Aragua 2-1 in Aragua.
Each team had only three hits. Adonis Garcia hit a home run for the Navegantes. Starter Jose Sanchez worked five innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk. Robert Coello (Cubs) struck out four in two perfect innings of relief. Lino Urdaneta pitched a perfect eighth to get the win. Jean Machi (San Francisco) walked one in a scoreless ninth for the save.
Joe Benson was 0-for-2 with 2 walks for the Tigres. Sergio Perez (Houston) struck out nine in five shutout innings, giving up no hits but walking three. The no-hitter lasted through four pitchers and eight innings. In the ninth, however, Francisco Butto allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss.
Around the league, Jairo Perez was 0-for-2 as a substitute as Lara lost to Caracas 10-5. Andrew Baldwin started and worked six innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks as Anzoategui lost to Zulia 8-6.
The Tigres are off today. They will host Caracas tomorrow night.